Online chess community where you can play chess, learn strategies and tactics, read chess news, see book reviews, find rules & tips, get free downloads, and more! http://www.chess.com/ 2007 Chess.com Guys, Here are 39 reasons to feel happy about being who you are: 1) Phone Conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.       2) You know stuff about tanks.       3) A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.       4) You can...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/happy-to-be-a-guyThu, 12 Feb 2009 14:05:33 -0800http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/happy-to-be-a-guyDrawing by repetition is not a too frequently used method, but it has produced some remarkable finishes. It implies an equilibrium of forces, in which both players are compelled to draw because they have no better line of play. The position below ...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/repetition2Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:24:20 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/repetition2In the following position, can you see what White is threatening? Black misses it completely, because he ignores his weakness on the first rank. How can Black make his position reasonably safe? Black sees a chance to win White's h4 pawn. Without...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/underestimating-your-opponents-threats-3Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:26:46 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/underestimating-your-opponents-threats-3In the following position Black played...h6 under the impression that this wins White's Bishop. This reasoning seems convincing, as a move of the menaced Bishop will lose the White Queen. How does White's aggressively posted Rook at g3 spoils...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/underestimating-your-opponents-threats-2Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:57:01 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/underestimating-your-opponents-threats-2Once upon a time, a mouse was looking through a hole in the wall and saw a farmer and his wife opening a package. He wondered what type of food could be in it, to his horror, he saw that the package contained a mouse trap. The mouse ran to th...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/thats-not-my-problemSun, 17 Aug 2008 13:06:11 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/thats-not-my-problemIn this beautiful miniature, Bobby Fischer, defeats his formidable Newyorker counterpart Reuben Fine. This is truly an amazing game because Fine was nobody to mess with. Very few times in his brilliant chess career has this American...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/the-wizard-of-brooklynThu, 07 Aug 2008 19:00:05 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/the-wizard-of-brooklynAs you all probably know, Anna Zatonskih won the United States Women's Championship by defeating IM and two-time Champion Irina Krush in Tulsa. The two girls tied for first by scoring 7.5 points each, and according to Chess Life writer Tom Br...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/the-flying-kingMon, 04 Aug 2008 10:34:01 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/the-flying-kingSixteen-year-old Bobby Fischer suffers four defeats against Mikhail Tal during the Candidates' Tournament of 1959. He faces Tal again at Bled in 1961, this time things turn out differently, the boy has become a man and he ...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/fischer-defeats-talFri, 25 Jul 2008 16:35:05 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/fischer-defeats-talMikhail Tal (1936-1992) won his right to a World title match with Botvinnik by sweeping the interzonal at Portoroz in 1958, coming in ahead of Benko, Petrosian and Fischer; and then winning the Candidates' Tournament of 1959. It was at this Candid...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/tal-defeats-fischerThu, 24 Jul 2008 11:59:34 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/tal-defeats-fischerIn the following position, White is a Knight and a pawn to the good; yet he is apparently lost. If he moves his Queen off the g-file, he gets mated. Resigning in such situation would have been completely understandable. Once again...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/repetitionThu, 17 Jul 2008 19:41:22 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/repetitionOne of the worst types of defensive blunders comes about when a player walks into a trap that has been deliberately set for him. Nothing, in fact, is so conducive to blundering as the belief that your opponent has blundered. Our powerful sense of ...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/walking-into-a-trapSun, 13 Jul 2008 11:20:35 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/walking-into-a-trapHave you ever realized how your ambitions change during the course of a game? When your opponent is attacking fiercely and when you are hard pressed, you'd be very glad to escape with a draw. Yet, a moment later, when the pressure has eas...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/half-a-point-is-better-than-noneFri, 11 Jul 2008 10:28:07 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/half-a-point-is-better-than-noneAgressive defense is good, if you can achieve it. Simplifying is good, if you can achieve it. But what do you do where neither of these methods is possible? In that case you must bide your time, not with passive squirming, but by constantly remain...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/patient-defenseMon, 07 Jul 2008 20:43:32 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/patient-defenseOf all the different kinds of mistakes in Chess, losing a won game is undoubtedly the most exasperating. No other mistake is more likely to rob you of self-confidence. Some players, when they have an advantage in material, seek complications inste...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/losing-a-won-gameFri, 04 Jul 2008 18:11:06 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/losing-a-won-gameBecause Alexander Alekhine was probably the greatest tactician in the history of Chess, it is always interesting to read the comments of his opponents on his style. One significant observation is that, whereas in most tactical sequences it is the ...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/frank-marshallTue, 24 Jun 2008 09:13:42 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/frank-marshallEven the most persuasive swindles will sometimes be defeated by one artful check, as witness the following position from a game played in Iceland in 1949. Max Euwe, a former World Champion has been completely outplayed. He is behind in material an...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/powerful-in-between-checksMon, 23 Jun 2008 06:08:48 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/powerful-in-between-checksPins are often so powerful that it becomes a matter of habit to think of them as invincible. They are not. That is the sad discovery that Black makes in the following position: Black's position is anything but inviting, his King is u...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/counter-pinSat, 21 Jun 2008 14:38:11 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/counter-pinIn the following position, we can see once more what can happen when a player sets up a pitfall for his opponent but overlooks weakness in his own side. The position arose in a match game played in 1888. White has the problem of guarding...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/the-trapper-gets-trappedThu, 19 Jun 2008 19:43:31 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/the-trapper-gets-trappedIn the following position White has two pawns for the exchange, so that material is approximately even. If Black is to seek a win, it must be on some combinative basis. Yet the position of his Rook on g4 is an awkward one, for it is pinned by the ...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/a-double-edged-swordWed, 18 Jun 2008 09:57:42 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/a-double-edged-swordThis game was contributed by Mike Ardrey to the June 2008 issue of "Chess Life" Magazine. These are Mr. Ardrey's comments in his own words: "My thanks to GM Andy Soltis for his tribute to GM Al Horowitz in th...http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/horowitzs-masterpieceFri, 06 Jun 2008 16:16:13 -0700http://blog.chess.com/kenytiger/horowitzs-masterpiece